Integrated circuit (IC) packaging is generally considered to be the final stage of IC fabrication and occurs after a disc-like semiconductor wafer, which often includes a large number of IC dies thereon, is diced up to provide a number of separate ICs. Because the features on each die are often too small to be practically coupled together in a larger circuit, these dies are packaged in an IC package to facilitate effective integration. Some conventional examples of IC packages include flat packs, dual-inline packages (DIPs) and numerous others, which can be fabricated from ceramic, plastic, or other more exotic materials.
Although effective in many regards, conventional IC packages suffer from significant shortcomings when designers attempt to integrate them with high frequency (e.g., radio-frequency (RF) or millimeter wave) components. For example, significant power losses often occur at high frequencies, which can be due, at least in part, to the connection between the conventional IC package and the high frequency component.
To improve integration of high-frequency components with respect to packaging, aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward improved IC package assemblies and method associated therewith.